- The Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team spent the majority of the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway avoiding disaster and coming back from adversity until a crash with 29 laps left in the 188-lap race finally ended their day.
TALLADEGA, Ala., May 7, 2017 – Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing team spent the majority of the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway avoiding disaster and coming back from adversity until a crash with 29 laps left in the 188-lap race finally ended their day.
“I just got turned and destroyed,” said Blaney after being released from the infield medical facility. “It figures. I haven’t torn up too much here in the past so I guess I was due one.”
Blaney was running in 14th place when he made contact with eventual race winner Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., and Brad Keselowski, causing him to hit the wall
“I’m not really sure,” Blaney replied when asked his view of what caused the wreck that ended his day prematurely. “I haven’t seen what happened. I know we got stacked up and got turned from behind. I thought we had a decent car and were working our way back up there. I actually made a bad move that put us in that spot. We were trying to make gains and got run into. It’s unfortunate.”
The 39th at Talladega follows consecutive rear-echelon finishes at the Bristol and Richmond short tracks.
“We’ve had a few rough weeks in a row,” Blaney said.
Prior to the day-ending wreck, Blaney spent much of the day in the top 10, scoring points in the first two stages with a ninth in Stage 1 and a third in Stage 2.
After starting 16th following a lack-luster qualifying effort, Blaney was seventh after two laps and fifth after three circuits.
While running in sixth during lap 37, Blaney just missed being involved when Kyle Larson went into the wall.
“I don’t know how we didn’t wreck there,” Blaney said over the team’s radio.
“We were racing hard,” he said following the face. “We nearly wrecked a few times. The first wreck of the day came late but it was good racing.”
The red-and-white Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford got as high as second place during lap 42 in Stage 1.
Early in Stage 2, Blaney got stuck in a lane that went backward and found himself in 14th. Six laps later he was back in the top 10. He was as far back as 21st before eventually getting to third place at the end of the second segment.
Contact with Martin Truex, Jr., at the end of Stage 2 caused right-front fender damage that resulted in a lengthy pit stop and a final-stage re-start in 33rd.
Again, the Wood Brothers crew worked their way back into the top 10 by lap 132. A lap-150 green-flag pit stop dropped Blaney to 22nd but he was moving forward when he hit the wall.
Following the Talladega finish, Blaney moves down one place to 13th in the driver standings, 188 points behind leader Kyle Larson.
The next stop on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series circuit is the Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway, Saturday 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1.
About Motorcraft
Motorcraft® offers a complete line of replacement parts that are recommended and approved by Ford Motor Company. From routine maintenance to under-hood repairs, Motorcraft parts offer exceptional value with the highest quality and right fit at competitive prices. Motorcraft parts are available nationwide at Ford and Lincoln dealers, independent distributors and automotive parts retailers are backed by Ford Motor Company’s two-year, unlimited-miles Service Parts Limited Warranty. Ask for Motorcraft by name when you visit your local auto parts store or your favorite service facility. For more information, visit www.motorcraft.com.
About Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers
Ford’s Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center offers routine vehicle maintenance such as oil and filter changes, light repair services including brake repair, and tire replacements on all vehicle makes and models. With more than 800 locations and growing, customers can visit www.quicklane.com to find a center that is closest to them, print savings coupons and review maintenance tips to keep their vehicles running at peak efficiency. This site includes information on how to spot tire wear, how to jump-start a battery and even a series of tips to improve a vehicle’s fuel economy.
Wood Brothers Racing
Wood Brothers Racing was formed in 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glen Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 98 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 117 poles in NASCA’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the Wood Brothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glen’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion driven by Ryan Blaney in the famous number 21 racecar.
